New Housing Construction Sites, High Incidence of Fatal Accidents... 'Safety Inspection Day' Preventive Checks

KOSHA to Conduct Intensive Inspections on Fall Accident Prevention at Small and Medium Construction Sites on November 4

Choi Seong-won, Director of Education and Culture at the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, is conducting safety inspection activities at small and medium-sized construction sites on November 4, the "Safety Inspection Day." [Image source=Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] Among domestic industrial sites, where do the most fatal accidents occur? Undoubtedly, it is construction sites. The most common fatal accident at construction sites is falls.

November 4th is "Safety Inspection Day." To mark Safety Inspection Day, the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency conducted safety inspections at small and medium-sized construction sites to prevent fall accidents, which cause the highest number of fatalities in the construction industry.

On this day, Choi Seong-won, Director of Education and Culture at the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, and the on-site inspection team visited a private rental housing new construction site in Guro-gu, Seoul, focusing on identifying fall hazard factors.

In the past five years, 1,369 fatal fall accidents have occurred at construction sites. On average, about 270 people die each year. What are the causes of these deaths? They mainly occurred where work platforms were poorly installed or where there were no safety railings.

Among fall fatalities in the past five years, 1,098 occurred at small and medium-sized construction sites with construction costs under 12 billion KRW, accounting for 80% of all fall accident deaths. This means that smaller construction sites are more exposed to risks than large-scale construction sites.

On this day, the inspection team checked the installation status of work platforms and safety railings at construction sites, as well as measures to cover openings (holes made for construction). They also examined whether workers were wearing personal protective equipment such as safety helmets and safety harnesses.

With winter approaching, to prevent fire risks caused by sparks during welding and cutting work, the team also inspected the isolation and removal of combustible materials at construction sites, fire prevention equipment, and the safety status of facilities.

Choi Seong-won, Director of Education and Culture at the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, said, "To reduce fatal accidents by half, preventing fall accidents is the most urgent task."

Director Choi emphasized, "To prevent fall accidents at small-scale construction sites, employers need to create a safe environment with work platforms and safety railings, and workers must comply with safety rules such as wearing personal protective equipment."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.